Canning Summer Tomatoes
How do you preserve the great taste of homegrown tomatoes?
Every summer, I save lots of tomatoes to make homemade juice and sauce. Not only are they delicious and nutritious, but they can be stored in containers in the freezer for any time the craving hits. This week, my housekeepers and I peeled and seeded trays of colorful and delicious tomatoes from my garden and then continued the process by canning the tomatoes - it’s such an easy way to preserve the taste of these peak-of-the-season fruits, so they can be enjoyed year-round.
Enjoy these photos and the step-by-step how-to.
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- Many of the tomatoes are eaten fresh and used for sandwiches and salads. Another large batch is saved for making delicious juice and sauce. Here are just some of the trays of tomatoes – just picked off the vines.
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- These tomatoes are separated according to color – here are some of the bright red tomatoes.
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- And here’s a tray filled with yellow tomatoes. I will can both red and yellow together this year.
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- Working in batches by color, Enma scores a shallow “x” on each tomato.
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- Here is a closer look at one already done – look at the “x” mark on the bottom of this tomato.
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- The next step is to place them in a pot of boiling water – just long enough for the skins to soften and loosen.
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- This only takes a minute or two. Once they are soft and the skins start to separate, using a spoon colander remove the tomatoes from the boiling water. I love these giant stainless steel bowls – they are perfect for this process.
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- And then right away, place them into an ice bath until cooled.
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- Once the tomatoes are removed from the ice-water, they’re ready to be peeled and seeded – see the skins? They are already separating.
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- Enma takes each tomato and hand peels the skins – boiling them really helps. And then she hulls the leftover parts of the stem at the top of each tomato.
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- Next, the tomatoes are cut in half to expose all the seeds. And then Enma removes all the seeds inside. Any discarded tomato parts go to my chickens.
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- Meanwhile, my driver Andres prepares a few trays of beautiful red tomatoes for my daughter, Alexis. Many of you ask what I do with all the vegetables I grow. I share most of them with my family.
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- The tomato juice made from fresh, raw tomatoes is a great source of lycopene, which is considered to have cancer preventing and reducing properties. All bowls of seeded tomatoes and tomato juice were stored in the refrigerator overnight. The next step is the canning process.
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- First, I put a teaspoon of salt at the bottom of the jar. I store lots of Ball mason jars in different sizes for preserving. These quart jars were washed in the dishwasher to prepare them. They can also be washed and sterilized in a pot of boiling water. Be sure to do this with all canning jars and lids. Sterilizing removes the bacteria, yeasts, fungi and organisms from the jar so that the food will remain fresh within the vacuum after canning.
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- I have been canning for many years and have always loved putting up jars of tomatoes, especially when the fruit is from my very own garden. We placed the tomato pieces into the jars with a wide-mouth funnel – these are very handy. The purpose of a canning funnel is to keep jar rims cleaner and to prevent waste. If you don’t have a funnel, place the jars on a plate or tray to catch any drips.
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- Using a stainless steel straight spatula, I carefully go down the inside of the jar to remove any air bubbles. When doing this be sure to lift and move the spatula as you go around instead of running the spatula along the sides of the jar.
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- Once the air bubbles are removed, you’ll be surprised at how much more room there is to add more tomato juice. Leave a 1/2-inch of space at the top of each jar’s neck, so there is room for expansion when it is heated.
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- Wipe the jar rims with a damp towel. It is important to make sure there are no seeds or bits of flesh on the rims that could prevent the seals from forming.
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- Place the tops and screw-on ring bands onto the jars until they are snug, but not too tight. When putting the lids on, press the lid to keep any air out – this is also a very important step.
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- Here is one of two large pots I prepared with canning racks and about three-inches of water.
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- Using tongs or canning jar clamps, place the filled jars into the pot. Each of these pots holds seven jars. It is important that the jars are spaced about an inch apart, and that they don’t touch the sides of the pot. Add water to cover if needed, and then cover the pot. Process the jars in gently boiling water for up to 45-minutes. The jars must remain covered with water throughout processing time. Once done, turn off the heat and wait a few minutes before removing the jars. As they cool, you may hear the lids ping, which is a sign that vacuum sealing has occurred.
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- Remove the jars and place them on the counter to continue cooling – look at the beautiful bright colors of these tomatoes. I like to leave them for 24-hours. After several hours, check that each lid is concave. If the lid pops back, it is not sealed and will have to go through the process again.
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- Sealed jars can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to a year. After opening, tomatoes can be refrigerated up to one week. And be sure to label them with canning dates. I hope this inspires you to do some canning this weekend! Enjoy.
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